Amy Winehouse's mum Janis has spoken for the first time since a Coroner ruled that it was alcohol that killed her daughter – and says that Amy's addiction took the singer by surprise. "Amy was incredibly strong, both physically and mentally, but alcohol addiction seemed to creep up on her and then just took her by surprise," she told The Daily Mail. "I think Amy felt she was invincible. She didn't want to die; she didn't have a death wish. She had a huge zest for life."
The singer, who tragically died at her home in Camden, north London on 23 July, was more than five times over the drink-driving limit when she passed away, and last month a Coroner ruled that she had drunk "a very large quantity of alcohol". According to Janis, Amy genuinely hated herself when she was drunk, but she couldn't seem to help falling off the wagon. "Her body couldn't cope with that amount of alcohol after three weeks of abstinence," she explains. "Amy hated herself when she was drunk. She liked being in control and she hated what alcohol was doing to her. She could go for weeks without having a drink, but then she'd fall off the wagon. She was like a little girl who just couldn't resist putting her finger in the fan, even though she knew it was dangerous."
This week it was announced that an album of previously unreleased Amy tracks – entitled Lioness: Hidden Treasures – will hit the shops on 5 December.